MASON Greenwood was on the verge of completing his Man United comeback last night as he stepped up training.
The suspended striker, 21, was seen being put through his paces by coaches with talks over his future entering their “final phase”.
He was pictured with a ball as his dad Andrew, 53, cradled the player’s newborn daughter.
Greenwood followed drills drawn up for him by United coaches overseeing his progress.
The £75,000-a-week England ace has not played or trained with teammates since his arrest last January.
But top-level discussions at Old Trafford are close to conclusion.
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Greenwood has the backing of players and manager Erik ten Hag after charges including attempted rape were dropped.
A source said: “Mason is working harder than ever on the training pitch.
"He’s desperate to return to the side as soon as possible and wants to put the last 18 months behind him.
"Talks about his future are in the final phase and the players and the manager are behind him.
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“The only thing that remains to be decided is whether he returns to first-team action or goes out on a season-long loan.”
United bosses are keen to announce a decision ahead of their first Prem game of the season on Monday against Wolves.
After becoming a dad last month with partner Harriet Robson, Greenwood is reluctant to relocate.
Another source said: “There’s talk of buddying him up with teammates so he has a support network around him.
"They want to ease him back gently and don’t want him isolated.”
Fans with shirts bearing his name could swap them for free after his arrest while Nike ended a lucrative deal with him. But the CPS dropped charges in February.